After missing out on competing for the Mustard Belt at this year’s Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Joey Chestnut smashed his world record Monday during a head-to-head showdown with longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi.
The world’s top-ranked competitive eater scarfed down 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes on Labor Day, finally settling his 15-year beef with Kobayashi, another former Nathan’s champ who managed to eat only 66 franks and buns during Netflix’s live stream event “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef” at the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas.
The streaming giant announced the all-you-can-eat match between Chestnut and Kobayashi one day after the reigning Nathan’s champ was banned from the Coney competition due to his decision to represent a rival brand, according to Major League Eating, the organization behind the beloved Fourth of July tradition.
Chestnut said in June that he learned of his disqualification through the media and disputed claims that he had any contracts with MLE or Nathan’s Famous. He vowed to return for the fans who started a petition to lift the ban.
In recent years, the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest has become synonymous with Joey Chestnut, who established himself as the one to beat in the annual Fourth of July frank-fest since 2016. In 2023, he attempted to beat his personal best of 73 hot dogs and buns but only managed to swallow 62, still taking the title.
In Chestnut’s absence at the 2024 contest, Patrick Bertoletti took home the win after eating 58 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
Kobayashi was the undisputed winner of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest from 2001 to 2006, until Chestnut ended his reign in 2007. Since then, the two professionals have been revered as the ones to beat. Kobayashi was also banned from competing in the Coney Island competition due to a contract dispute in 2010.
“Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” Kobayashi told Netflix ahead of the match. “This rivalry has been brewing for a long time. Competing against Joey live on Netflix means fans all over the world can watch me knock him out.”
The Labor Day showdown had one significant rule difference from the Coney Island competition, a signature of Chestnut’s eating technique: hot dogs could not be dunked in water.
Despite the rule change, Chestnut still emerged as the top dog. Following the competition, the champ credited his rivalry with Kobayashi as a major factor in his beating his own world record.
“It’s amazing. I’ve been trying to hit 80 hotdogs for years and without Koybayashi I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Chestnut said. “He drives me. We weren’t always nice to each other but we push each other to be our best.”